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Friday, 9 August 2013

‘Buhari is dealing with people who deceived Ribadu’

By OLAYINKA AJAYIFollowing the crisis rocking the Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP, and the emergence of All Progressive Congress, APC,
Tolagbe Animashaun, a PDP senatorial aspirant in Lagos Central District, in
this interview, explains how the PDP can resolve issues facing it.
Excerpts: Five northern governors burying the PDP?
They can threaten hell and brimstone. What we need to do is to sit down at
the round table and settle issues like adults, because PDP is a very big party
that will outlive other parties; what is happening is expected of a party that
is as massive as the PDP.
If you remember, during the 2011 general elections, there were issues that
sounded as if they were not going to be solved but they were ironed out. I am
positive that the PDP is going to survive the tumult that is going on now
because there have been re-conciliatory moves by all forces involved; that is
the major reason the party is going to surmount the challenges.Do you envisage the PDP making any head way in 2015?
There is absolutely no party like the PDP in Nigeria, one million parties can
merge and endorsed by the court, but what you put into consideration first is
the caliber of those coming together, you will realize that they are people bent
on manipulation and dribbling of the masses.

Tolagbe Animashaun

I have a very high regard for the former head of state, Gen. Buhari, but,
eventually, he will realize that he is dealing with deceitful people. If you
also remember, in 2011, they deceived and used former chairman of Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, who was their
presidential candidate, and dumped him. We are going to put our house in order
and I am sure we are having this storm in order to have a calm.Is PDP democratic enough in selecting its key officers?
I am yet to see any political party that is as transparent as the PDP in
Nigeria. Recently, we were supposed to have our convention for the purpose of
electing our national officers but the court restrained us and we obeyed. So,
which other way can we be more democratic as compared to other political parties
that just appoint families and friends.How soon will PDP put their house together ?
Reconciliation is in process. A committee has been set up to look into the
matter. The committee is headed by the Governor of Bayelsa State Seriake
Dickson. I am sure all the parties involved in this crisis will come to the
table to talk including the governors that are threatening to bury the PDP. You
must realize that people talk when their horses are goaded, and it is better to
be together than to be apartPlans to impeaching Gov. Rotimi Amaechi?
This party has made many people and I don’t see anybody biting the finger
that feeds him, but that does not mean that nobody is hindered not to have
aspirations, you can aspire to be the president or whatever you want to be but
you ought to respect the authority of the president of the nation and also the
authority of the party.
As far as I am concerned, there is some level of indiscipline on the part of
the governor of Rivers State towards the authorities. Whatever grudges you may
have can be sorted out within and not on the pages of newspapers. In all
sincerity, he is a Nigerian and he has every right to nurse an ambition, but he
has to put his ambition in check.Chances of PDP winning any seat in South-west come 2015?
Currently the present administration has not been fair to us in the
South-west and we have made representation to the government. Lagos also does
not have a representative in the Federal Executive Council (FEC) and it is
seriously affecting the fortunes of the party in the state because we don’t have
a minister that will speak on our behalf in Abuja. The President is aware of
this and we have shouted on the roof top that he is not being fair to us in the
South-west.
It may interest you to know that Lagosians are fed-up with multiple taxation
in Lagos, bad roads and motor cycles being seized. If the party can give us our
own minister, we have a good chance of winning Lagos for PDP in 2015. Also we
believe that we were robbed in the last local government elections by the
Action Congress of Nigeria, especially in Eredo local government area of
Badagry; Ikoyi – Obalende, Agbado – Okeodo where we won the Chairmanship
election and the courts gave the mandates to the ACN. So, all we need is to
have the backing of our formidable party in 2015.
For instance, the vote Mr. President garnered during last presidential
election was as a result of the efforts of what the PDP did in Lagos. I believe
we can do the same again if he recognizes that he needs our support to emerge in
2015.